Floor brush



Oct. 7, 1941f I J. SASSANQ 2,258,165

FLOOR BRUSH Filed April 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQR .Tasepi 5055mm A NEY Oct. 7, 1941. I

J. SASSANO 2,258,165

FLOOR BRUSH Filed April 11, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ulu' l mun-nunnunn INVENTOR Ja Sassmm Patented Oct. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR BRUSH Joseph Sassano, Yonkers, N. Y.

Application April 11, 1939, Serial No. 267,215

4 Claims.

A number of floor brushes today use two oppositely rotating horizontal brushes turning about vertical axes. With such brushes the motor and transmission mechanism do-not have their center of gravity over the center of gravity of the pair of brushes, with the result that there has been considerable inherent vibration due to the weight of the motor and transmission mechanism being more on one brush than the other or else more on part of the brushes than on another part and also a decided unbalanced condition. Expensive gearing might be resorted to for elimination of this difiiculty, but that is objectionable because these brushes must be kept at prices within reach of the housewife. A satisfactory type of transmission has been a worm on the motor shaft driving a gear on the brush shaft to give the desired speed reduction. Such a construction has heretofore required the motor to be o ifset from the line joining the brush axes of rotation and therefore been the cause of the aforementioned vibration and unbalance.

According to this invention these disadvantages have been eliminated and a pair of rotating floor brushes provided with a driving motor mounted with its center of gravity substantially on the line joining the brush axes and midway between them. Such a construction is possible by giving the motor and its shaft a non-symmetrical arrangement inclined to a line between the brush axes, the worms engaging the brush gears at substantially opposite positions.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan View of one embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the brush of Fig. l with the handle disconnected.

Fig. 3 is an end view'of the device of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view, partly in section.

showing the motor and transmission mechanism for driving the brushes but with the housing removed.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4 with a portion of the housing shown in position.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

A body portion I is provided with a housing I I to which is secured a bail I2 and an extension I3 for the handle I4. Electric wires connect the motor mechanism inside the housing I I with the switch I on the handle in a manner well known in this art. The switch I5 for opening or closing the motor circuit is located on top of the handle I4 so as to be accessible for convenient operation by the thumb of either hand. Screws I6 pivotally secure the bail I2 to the housing II.

A plurality of ventilating openings are located in each end portion of the housing I I, the openings in the upper part being shown by the numeral II. Brushes I8 and I9 are shown in Fig. 2. A rubber bumper strip 20 serves as a guard to prevent the mechanism scratching the baseboard or the like. The ventilating openings 22 are positioned in the end Walls of the housing I I. The housing is secured to the body III by bolts M which are accessible after the brushes I8 and I9 have been removed, such brushes being carried on their shafts in the usual manner. To reduce the transmission of sounds and other vibra-' tions between the housing II and the body portion ID are located a number of washers or strips 23 of sound absorbing material.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5', an inner motor casing 24 is connected at each end through transmission housings around the brush shafts. At each end of the motor shaft is provided a worm 25 engaging a gear 26 on a brush shaft. The motor casing 24 is provided with a wall or flange portion 21 around the edge of which is secured a strip of felt or the like 28 for the purpose of engaging the inside of the housing. II and providing an air seal so that the fan 29 on the mo' tor shaft may draw cooling currents of air through the housing perforations I! and 22 at one end, cause all of the air currents to pass through the motor casing 24 and around the rotor for cooling it, thence through the fan 29 and out the ventilation openings IT and 2.2 at the other end of the housing II. In this way none of the air is drawn around the outside of the motor, but all of it passes through the motor in contact with the laminations inside the motor casing. The motor casing is in two parts connected as illustrated by the bolts 3I. Each end of the casing is integral with the housing around the worm and gear for driving one of the brushes.

With a worm drive of the construction illustrated and the brushes rotating oppositely as shown in Fig. 4, it will be necessary to have a thrust bearing 32 at only one end of the motor shaft, since the thrust from each worm drive is in the same direction.

The body portion ID has a recessed part immediately below the motor, as shown by the numeral 33 in Fig. 5. The motor and transmission mechanism for each brush is a unit and may be removed from the body portion In as a unit on disconnecting the bolts 34 and lifting 01f this power unit. Each brush shaft 35 is provided with the usual means for retaining a brush thereon. Over each of the Worm gears 26 is a cover 36, held in place by screws 31, so that grease may be packed into the worm drive transmission mechanism. An electrical connector receptacle 38 is held in a perforation in the housing H by screws 39.

, Among the advantages of this invention may be mentioned the greater freedom from vibration by reason of the center of gravity of the motor and transmission mechanism being mounted midway between the brushes on the line joining their axes. In this way the weight of the motor and transmission mechanism is substantially equally distributed on each brush. The construction illustrated necessitates the use of one instead of two thrust bearings, although, if desired, a thrust bearing may be located each end of the motor shaft even though the thrust from each worm drive is in the same direction. The fact that the motor and transmission mechanism are removable as a unit makes it possible for a customer to remove the unit and have it serviced without sending the entire brush and housings. The motor is cooled by the air currents passing through the motor casing between the rotor and stator laminations, though if desired additional air passages through each. of these laminations may be provided. It is possible, as illustrated, to use worms of the same type rather than with the threads oppositely arranged. The motor casing being connected by bolts as above described, enables the laminations to be removed and yet have the transmission housing at each end integral. If the wall 21 were not present then heated air might be recirculated within the housing, causing the motor to be considerably hotter. All of the parts designated by the numerals l'fl, ll, i2, 21, 29, 30 and 36 are preferably of aluminum although they may be of iron. When made of aluminum they may be castings.

From the drawings it may be seen that the vertical distance between the motor axis and the bottom of the brushes is less than the horizontal separation of the brush axes. Also the vertical distance between the motor axis and the top of ii a brush is not substantially more than half the horizontal distance between the brush axes.

I claim:

1. A floor cleaning mechanism comprising oppositely rotating, horizontal brushes, a frame therefor, a driving unit secured to said frame and including a motor and worm drive for each brush, and an air circulator on the motor shaft, a casing secured to the frame enclosing said driving unit and spaced therefrom at least in part, 1i

and means closing said space between the motor and casing whereby said air circulator draws air longitudinally of the motor through the same and not longitudinally on the outside of motor.

2. A floor cleaning device comprising a pair of oppositely rotating brushes having vertical shafts, a motor having inner and outer casings for driving said brushes, and arranged horizontally between the brush shafts, a gear on each brush shaft for engagement with a worm on the motor shaft, a housing for each gear and worm, the motor inner casing being transversely divided centrally into two parts bolted together, each part integral with a worm and gear housing, at least one of the motor inner casing parts having an outwardly extending flange closing the space between the inner and outer casings.

3. The combination with a supporting platform, of a motor including a casing split transversely through the motor and mounted on the platform, a pair of spaced shafts passing through said platform and to which rotating floor brushes are removably afiixed below said platform, a shaft for the motor, bearings for said shaft, said motor and its shaft being inclined to a line between said brush axes, a worm on each end portion of the motor shaft, a gear on each brush shaft engaging a worm on the motor shaft, a bearing for each brush shaft below its gear, two, integral housings each for a brush shaft, its gear, worm, motor shaft bearing, and the adjacent end portion of the motor casing, and means for removably securing to said platform as a unit said motor, its shaft, gears, brush shafts, and all brush shaft bearings enclosed in said unitary housings and held together by bolts securing said housings and spanning the split portion of said motor casing whereby said unit may be detached from said platform and brushes for servicing or repair.

4. The combination with a supporting platform, of a motor mounted thereon, a pair of spaced shafts passing through said platform and to which rotating floor brushes are removably affixed below said platform, a shaft for the motor, said motor and its shaft being inclined to a line between said brush axes, a worm on each end portion of the motor shaft, a gear on each brush shaft engaging a worm on the motor shaft, an air circulating device on the motor shaft, said motor having a casing open at each end for the circulation of air through the motor casing axially thereof, an outer housing removably secured above and to said platform and enclosing said motor, its shaft, gears, and brush shafts above the platform, said housing having a ventilating opening adjacent each end, and a substantially imperforate wall between the outer housing and motor casing whereby air is precluded from being circulated between the motor casing and outer housing.

JOSEPH SASSANO. 

